


Double Shot

by Girl_in_Japan



Series: The Blonde Barista Series [1]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Coffee Shops, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 06:41:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5617225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Girl_in_Japan/pseuds/Girl_in_Japan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU One Shot- Mamoru walks into his usual coffee shop to find a new, blonde barista at the register. He can't seem to keep his eyes off of her. However, she can't seem to keep her eyes off of his friend Motoki. Frustration for all--except for one oblivious Motoki--ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Double Shot

Mamoru let out a sigh of relief as he stepped into the university’s coffee shop. After a long morning of classes, the only thing on his mind was getting a hot cup of coffee and taking a much deserved break. 

As a senior studying premed, he had very little time to relax. His mornings were filled with lectures and his afternoons were filled with lab practicums. Any time he was not in class was generally spent studying or working on one of the many applications to medical school that were sitting on his desk. 

Some of his peers claimed he worked too hard—he was at the top of his class and he probably could have retained that standing while taking a little more time for himself. However, Mamoru liked studying and the rewards it brought. He enjoyed the quiet swell of pride that came with knowing the right answer or getting a hundred on a test. But more than that, he knew he had to do his best so that he could help as many people as possible once he became a doctor. Devoting his time to being a serious student seemed like a small price to pay to save lives in the future. 

With that said though, he did take Wednesday afternoons to relax and recuperate a little from all his studying. It was the only weekday where he did not have afternoon commitments and he generally spent an hour or two after lunch at the coffee shop doing this or that. Sometimes he read or worked on a crossword in the newspaper. Other times he simply allowed his mind to wander. No matter what he did on those Wednesday afternoons, it was always pleasant to sit and forget about his responsibilities for a while as he nursed a strong cup of coffee.

Today he had agreed to share the weekly ritual with his friend, Motoki. The two had been good friends since high school and while they both attended the university, their different majors kept them from seeing each other on a regular basis. Now with the senior work piling onto both of their plates, the only way they found time to talk was to arrange it in advance. 

Spotting Motoki at a table near the window, Mamoru waved. A moment later, Motoki noticed him and gave a tired wave back. Mamoru raised an eyebrow. His friend looked horrible, sort of like he hadn’t slept in a week. 

Well if that was the case, at least Motoki had made it to the coffee shop.

Mamoru headed to the counter to order them both a much needed drink. Wednesday afternoons were rarely busy at the coffee shop and today was no exception. There was only one person in front of him. 

Over the semester, he had gotten to know the usual Wednesday afternoon barista. Her name was Yumi and she studied history. Each week they exchanged pleasantries and made some sort of inquiry into the other’s studies while Yumi got his coffee. There was no need for the normal employee/customer interchange anymore. She knew what he wanted—he never changed his order—and he knew how much it cost. Granted, today he’d be ordering something for Motoki as well but he doubted that would change their weekly banter too much. 

After what felt like an unusually long amount of time to wait in line for one person, the student in front of him finally walked away and Mamoru stepped up to the counter. However, instead of Yumi’s usual calm face, he found himself looking at a smiling blonde girl.

“Hi! What can I get for you?”

He couldn’t help himself from staring.

The girl—probably a freshman—was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. The way she smiled with her whole being… The sincere desire to please that was reflected in her big, blue eyes… The strange and yet somehow endearing double bun and pigtail hairstyle she wore her blonde locks in… He couldn’t look away.

“Can… I help you?”

Her voice, now vaguely confused, brought him out of his reverie. Who was this new girl? Where was Yumi? He struggled to find a response for her. 

“Ah, yeah. Can I get one medium coffee? And can I get a double shot espresso?”

The order seemed to return the girl to her original cheerful state. “Sure! Coming right up!” 

Regrettably, that cheer only lasted a moment. A crease formed between her eyebrows as she began the task of entering the request into the computer. 

The seconds ticked by. She bit her lip and punched at the buttons with no apparent results. 

It was starting to become clear to Mamoru why it had taken so long for the student in front of him to get his drink. The girl was obviously new and it was up in the air whether or not she actually knew what she was doing.

Something about the vaguely frustrated yet determined expression on her face made him want to walk around the counter and help her figure it all out. The urge was a surprise to him. He had always believed that people should know how to do their jobs or not do them at all. But here was this girl he instinctively wanted to help just because of the hopeless look on her face and the way his heart sped up when he saw her. He desperately wanted to see her smile again and he wanted to be the one she smiled for. In that moment, eh would have done anything for to make that happen.

Just as he was about to reach forward and direct her hand towards the right buttons though, he stopped, blinked, and mentally shook off the trance she had put him in. What was he doing? He had no reason to help this girl. He didn’t even know her name. And besides, he wasn’t an employee here. He knew nothing about their computer system. Even if he had tried to help her, he probably would have just made things worse.

A second later, the girl’s smile thankfully returned and a price flashed onto the customer display. She had figured it out. Mamoru found himself smiling along with her. 

“That’ll be 722 yen.”

He fished the change out of his pocket.

“Can I get a name to put on your cup?”

“Mamoru.”

“Okay.—Oh hey, I saw you waving at that guy by the window before. Is he your friend?”

Mamoru looked up in surprise as he handed her the money. “Yes, he is.”

“He’s so cute! I’ve been watching him over there since he came in an hour ago. He ordered a mocha coffee and I accidentally screwed up the order but he was really sweet and patient about it. He didn’t seem upset at all but maybe he was just being nice…” She trailed off uncertainly but then looked him squarely in the eye. 

“One of those coffees you ordered was for him, right?”

“Uh…”

“Right?”

“Yeah…”

“Which one?” There was a strange gleam in her eye. 

For some reason even more unexplainable than the pull he had felt to help her before, Mamoru was suddenly overcome with a feeling of annoyance that gnawed at his stomach and sent it into frustrated knots. He wished that he wasn’t meeting Motoki today and that he had come to the coffee shop alone like he always did. Maybe then the barista wouldn’t be asking him about his friend and he wouldn’t feel so inexplicably irritated by her questions.

“I don’t really think it’s your business, Bun Head,”

She stared at him in visible surprise for a second and then bristled. 

“My name’s not Bun Head.”

In any other situation, Mamoru would have stopped right there and apologized. However, he was beginning to realize that this was not a normal situation. The frustration eating him from the inside was making sure of that. Who was he to care of this barista liked Motoki? It wasn’t any of his business. But for some reason he did care and he didn’t like it.

“You haven’t told me what your name actually is, so I had to use my imagination. What’s up with your hair anyway?”

“Nothing’s ‘up’ with my hair. It’s just the way I like it,” She brought a defensive hand up to one of the buns. “And for your information, my name’s Usagi.”

Usagi. It suited her. Not that he was going to tell her that though. 

“Are you going to get me my coffee?”

She scowled at him. It was almost as sweet as her smile. 

“Are you going to tell me which coffee is for your friend?”

“No.”

“Fine then. Someone will call you when your coffee’s ready.”

Mamoru rolled his eyes and made his way to Motoki’s table.

Motoki smiled up at him. “That took you a while.” 

“The new barista is crazy,” 

Mamoru slid his bag under the table and sat down. Now that they were a few feet away from each other, he could see how tired Motoki really looked. He was glad he had ordered the double shot for him. He looked like he could use it. 

Motoki raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Really? I thought she was kind of cute. I hope she gets a hang of the cash register soon though.”

Mamoru felt the knot of irritation in his chest grow. The sane part of him reasoned that of course Motoki would find her cute. Usagi was cute. She was more than cute. It was why he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of her until she had started gushing about Motoki.

But at the same time, he was annoyed that Motoki had felt the need to point out the obvious. After hearing Usagi call his friend cute, hearing the same compliment from Motoki’s lips felt like some sort of perverse déjà vu. Besides, Motoki already had a girlfriend he was serious about. Why did he need to think about other women?

More than ever, Mamoru wished that he had come alone to the coffee shop. Still, he hadn’t and he couldn’t exactly get up and leave either. Instead, he changed the topic.

“I ordered you a double shot. It looks like you need it.”

Motoki’s expression was appreciative. “Thanks. I stayed up until 3 studying last night and I still think I failed my test.”

“You couldn’t have done that badly.”

Motoki scowled at the empty cup in front of him. “Want to bet?”

“Mamoru!”

Mamoru turned his head towards the familiar sound of Yumi’s voice. It was a relief to see his regular barista standing at the pick-up counter after dealing with Usagi at the register. Maybe there was a chance he’d have a normal Wednesday afternoon in spite of everything.

He excused himself and made his way back to the counter to pick up the coffees.

“Sorry. I was in the store room when you came in,” Yumi handed him two identical paper cups. “They’re labeled on the top.”

“Thanks,” He nodded his head in Usagi’s direction. “New barista?” 

There were no customers to serve right then and she was fiddling with one of the fancy teaspoons that the shop sold at the counter. 

“Yeah, she starts a Saturday shift next week but I’m training her today.”

“She’s hopeless with the cash register.”

Yumi shrugged. “She hasn’t mischarged anyone yet. I’ve made sure of that. And she’ll get a hang of it eventually. I’ve been making the drinks so that she can focus on one thing at a time. She’s just in charge of ringing everyone up and putting their names on the cups today.”

Mamoru nodded. “Sounds reasonable.”

They said their goodbyes and he returned to the table. Pushing the cup labeled ‘extra shot’ towards Motoki, he sat down and leaned forward to pull a book out of his bag.

“Hey, there’s something on yours.”

Mamoru sat up and looked down at the cup in front of him with a sense of foreboding. What could Usagi—it had to have been Usagi—have possibly put on his cup? A warning to stay away from her? An insult? Some sort of unpleasant trick to get back at him for being mean? He cautiously turned the cup around, preparing himself for anything.

When the “something” Motoki had seen finally came into view, he wasn’t sure what he was looking at. It was a drawing. That much was clear. But it was difficult to tell what it was supposed to be.

Mamoru squinted at the picture. “What is it? A horse?”

Motoki shook his head. “I couldn’t tell either but I didn’t get a very good look at it. Give it to me.”

He handed the cup over, genuinely curious to hear what Motoki could make of the drawing. 

“I think it’s a cat.”

It seemed as good a guess as his. 

Shrugging, Motoki handed the cup back to Mamoru. “Whatever it is, it was nice of her to draw something for you.”

“Yeah…” He wasn’t sure what he had done to get the special treatment though. He took a sip of his coffee. 

“Hey, is that her phone number?”

Mamoru nearly spat out the coffee.

“ _What?_ ”

“On the bottom of your cup. Look.”

Swiftly, everything began to make perfect sense. Usagi had wanted to know which drink was Motoki’s. When he hadn’t told her, she had guessed… and clearly gotten it wrong. The drawing and the number were obviously meant for Motoki. 

A slow smile spread over Mamoru’s face as he lifted the cup and looked at the bottom. There, as plain as day, was a phone number and a name. “Usagi.” There was even a little heart.

Motoki let out a laugh. “Man, I guess she likes you.”

Mamoru nodded, suddenly pleased with how the afternoon was playing out. “Something like that.” 

There was no way he was going to explain what was actually going on.

“Are you going to call her?”

“I don’t think that’s really what she wants.”

Motoki gave him a confused look. “What do you mean? She wrote her number on the cup.”

“She did,” But not for him. God, this was too good. Maybe he would call her just to see what would happen when she realized it was him on the other end and not the man of her dreams.

“I don’t know. I think you should call her. You haven’t dated at all since you started school, have you?” 

He hadn’t. He was too busy studying and there hadn’t been anyone he was interested in. But maybe if he could get Usagi to agree…

Motoki stood up. “I’m going to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

Mamoru nodded, still looking at Usagi’s number on the bottom of the cup. It was really too good of a chance to pass up and she had given it to him, albeit unintentionally. It would be a shame not to call her at least once. Maybe he would do it that evening. Or perhaps it would be better to wait a day or two and make her squirm first. He contemplated the possibilities.

“That’s not your coffee!”

Mamoru glanced over to see a furious looking Usagi glaring down at him.

Busted. She knew who had her number now. Still, he didn’t let it faze him. Putting the cup casually back on the table with his hand around it, he turned in his chair to face her.

“Actually it is. You guessed wrong, Bun Head. The double shot was for Motoki.”

That wasn’t the answer Usagi wanted to hear. She let out a shriek of rage. For a moment, the rest of the coffee shop was silent, all eyes on her. But Usagi paid the attention no mind and slowly, the noise in the shop began to grow again. 

She stretched her hand out. 

“Give it to me. Right now.”

This was getting better and better. Inwardly, Mamoru grinned at the scene she was putting on but outwardly he remained calm. 

“No. I paid for this and now I’m drinking it.”

“Then give me back the cup when you’re done.”

He pretended to look hurt by her demand. “But I was so touched by your artwork. To think you’d go to all that trouble for me. Tell me. Is it a horse or a cat?”

“It’s a rabbit!” Her tone was getting shriller. This was too much fun.

Mamoru took another look at the picture on the cup. Now that he knew what it was supposed to be, he could see it. “Oh, yeah. There it is. I was wondering why it didn’t have a tail.” It still didn’t look much like a rabbit though.

Usagi groaned. “Just give me the cup! I’ll get you a new one. An extra-large coffee. On the house.”

He didn’t doubt that she would if she could. But he wasn’t going to let her off that easily. 

“I’m not sure if you’re allowed to do things like that when you’re only training.”

“I’ll pay for it myself if I have to.”

Mamoru couldn’t remember the last time he had enjoyed talking to someone so much. Of course he supposed they weren’t talking as much as Mamoru was simple teasing her mercilessly. Either way he was having a wonderful time.

“Are you offering to buy me a drink, Bun Head?”

Unfortunately, Usagi didn’t seem to be enjoying things quite as much as he was. She looked as if she was about to burst into angry tears. “No! I’m not! I’m trying to get my number back from you before you give it to a creepy friend or write it in a bathroom stall or something!”

Mamoru blinked as the fun of teasing her slid abruptly away. Did she really think he was capable of doing something like that? Was he acting so badly that she thought this might end in personal disaster for herself?

“I was only going to call you and see what you did when you realized it wasn’t Motoki…”

“Huh?” She had been winding up for some sort of diatribe but his words had cut her off before she could begin. “You were just going to call me?”

“Yeah,” He felt the need to say something to prove that her number was safe in his hands. “But I won’t if you don’t want me to.”

Usagi was quiet for a minute, all the fight gone from her. But then she straightened herself up, crossed her arms over her chest and said in a confident tone as she glared out the window, “Do what you want. I don’t really care one way or the other.”

A small smile played over Mamoru’s lips. Maybe she didn't hate him quite as much as it looked like. It was hard to read her expression when she wasn't looking straight at him though. He wished she was. He would have loved to get a better look at the single-minded gleam in those blue eyes of hers.

“So can I keep the cup?”

She shrugged, her gaze still directed out the window. “I guess.”

With that, Usagi turned around and strode back to her abandoned position at the counter. 

Mamoru watched her go, stifling a chuckle as she stumbled over a chair, caught herself, and continued on her way as if nothing had happened. When she got back to the register, she surreptitiously snuck a glance back towards him. Unluckily for her, he was still watching. 

As their eyes met, Mamoru smiled and raised his cup in silent acknowledgement. She looked away, blushing furiously.

He was definitely going to call her. Maybe if he was lucky, she’d even talk to him when he did.


End file.
